Suguha in ALO
by Cyronico
Summary: Suguha hates VRMMOs, but she has to try Alfheim Online to find out why her brother loved them enough to leave her alone in the real world. But what is hate turns into something a bit more interesting.
1. Games Begin

**Okay, so this is my first Fanfic, started 2 years ago and only completed recently. Don't kill me. :P I'm filling in the gap in Kirigaya Suguha's story, the part where, during Kirito's final adventures in Aincrad, Sugu tries out ALO. Enjoy the small adventures that ensue. ^-^ I don't own either SAO or its characters.**

Suguha Kirigaya stared blankly at her new video game. She _hated_ it, more than she had hated anything before. _But I have to see,_ she told herself. She looked back to the impassive figure on the bed below her. She sat on its edge, her tears making her view of his unmoving face distorted. She wiped them away, and looked at him again. It was her brother, Kazuto. _A_ _t least... I thought he was my brother,_ she said to herself. _Turns out he's only my cousin._ _Why didn't he tell me_ _before_ _...?_

Tears came again, and this time she couldn't help it. She laid on top of her brother, convulsing uncontrollably. Her dark-blue hair rippled a little as a breeze flew through the open window. She felt so helpless, powerless to aid him in any way accept cry for him, and she did that every day. She missed him dearly, even though he wasn't the closest brother in the world.

Before he'd found out about his real parents, Kazuto was the greatest big brother. He played with her every day, and did Kendo with her, even though he didn't actually like it. He would always find time for her, and was always there. But, after he discovered his real parents, he would lock himself away, and Sugu rarely ever saw him. Now, after her mom told _her_ about their unshared parentage, she'd had a creeping suspicion.

 _Maybe,_ she thought, _the reason he started playing his games and becoming so distant before this stupid incident was because of me... He learned I wasn't his sister and started avoiding me, maybe to protect me from becoming to_ _o_ _attached. I don't care, though._ _I just want him back. But... when he does get back, he might just become more distant now that I know._

 _I want to... I_ have _to see why he liked these games so much, then maybe I can relate to him, or at least understand him better._ _It'll give us something to talk about, at least..._ She slid her sleeve across her face and held the game's case up to her face. A virtual reality massive multiplayer online role playing game, or VRMMORPG. That's what Kazuto was stuck in right now, battling every day for his very survival. Now, she was about to start a game of almost the exact same design. She sighed shakily, and got up off her... _brother. That's what he his, my big brother, and nothing will ever change that, not even this_ _stupid_ _game!_

 ** _1 hour later..._**

Sugu was briskly walking home, trying her best not to be cold in her blue shorts. She held the game in her hand, looking at it every now and again, half tempted to just throw it away and forget about it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the form of someone darting in and out of hiding, obviously following her. She tensed slightly, but was ready and able to take whoever it was on in a fight. She made a split second decision and turned a corner, then plastered herself against the wall of a building and froze, waiting.

Not a moment later a short, stout figure came around the corner, half crouching in stealth. Before he could even realize what was happening, Sugu socked him in the gut, then gave him a quick roundhouse kick right in the jaw. He went sprawling onto the street, crying out in pain and holding his stomach. Sugu recognized the voice, and put her hands to her mouth in astonishment.

"Oh! Oh my gosh, Shinichi? I'm so sorry!" She held out a hand to him apologetically. He coughed once and took it, standing shakily upright.

"Ow ow ow... Geez, Suguha, that really hurt..." he said, rubbing the grim from her shoe off his jaw.

She gave him what she thought was a soft punch in the shoulder, and he cringed. "I told you, call me Suguha, okay? And I'm sorry, you just scared me is all." Then she looked at him curiously, remembering why she had attacked him. "But... why were you following me, Shin?"

"Ah, oh, uh-" he stammered, twiddling his fingers nervously as always, "Well, just... I, uh, I was worried about you. You spend so much time in the hospital nowadays, and, well... I just wanted to see if you were alright, so I went there and saw you walk out. But you had _that_ with you," he said, pointing at the game Sugu still held in her hand, "and I thought that maybe I should see what you planned on doing with it..."

Sugu shook her head and sighed with the slightest of smiles. Good ol' Shinichi, always worrying about her even when he shouldn't. It was annoying, but also a little sweet. "If you wanted to know, you should have just asked, banana brain," she giggle slightly. "If you really do want to know, then meet me in Alfheim somewhere tonight, okay? I'm trying this thing out..."

 ** _20 minutes later..._**

She held the visor up to her face, examining it for any sign of trapping her in the virtual world. All she could see was the REC signature. Nothing out of the ordinary. _Out of the ordinary,_ she thought, _W_ _hat the heck is ordinary about this? Ugh, this is so stupid! I shouldn't be doing this at all. I mean, what if what happened to Kazuto happens to me_ _too_ _!_ She paused her thoughts, glancing at the AmuSphere again, and resolve like a cloak rested over her.

 _I'll do it for him. I probably won't get stuck anyway. It has highly advanced protection software after what happened before. I need to know what it's like... so maybe I can have a brother again, not an estranged cousin._

She breathed in deeply, like a swimmer preparing to race. She put the game in the slot, plugged in the gear, and put it on her head. "Here we go," she said out loud. "Link start!" Her view suddenly zoomed at high speed through a barrage of some multicolored things she couldn't identify. The scene startled her, and she considered taking the headgear off, but then she realized she couldn't move. There was no going back without starting the game. It went through a quick systems check with a lot of 'OK's, then she specified the language of use. Suddenly she was standing in a small, pillared room with windows that only provided light. She gasped. Before her was a glowing sign, and a male voice said loudly...

"Welcome, to Alfheim Online!"


	2. Alfheim Online

**Alright, second chapter! After this, idk about updates. Next chapter could be anywhere from tomorrow to weeks from now. Sorry about the randomness, but such is the busy life of the home-schooling teen. Please enjoy. :) I don't own SAO or its characters.**

"Whoaaa!" Suguha exclaimed in pure wonder, wind whipping her long, golden-yellow pony tail back and forth behind her. She soared high through the skies of Alfheim, marveling at the glorious feeling of freedom above, below, and all around her.

"Hey!" Shin shouted from below, his voice dying on air that sped her on her way towards heaven. She felt so alive, so free, and so happy! Happier than she had felt in over two years. She flew higher and higher on her sparkling green wings, exhilarated by the feeling of such height.

Eventually she slowed, smoothed out her green and white garments, and looked down at the geography below. It was stunning: Rolling hills full of bright green foliage; tall, dark mountains with snow dressing their peaks; wide plains and meadows full flowers and lakes; and all around peeked the small, oddly shaped figures of monsters she could not yet identify, waiting to waylay a player.

She sighed dreamily. The landscape, the flight, it was all so beautiful and magical. Then, she got an idea. _Okay, I know I can't fly much higher than I am now... but how fast can I go?_

She readied her wings and back muscles, then dove forward with a burst of speed. She looked down at the ground as she raced along, far enough below her that it looked like it moved at a snails pace, but she figured she was going about two-hundred miles-per-hour, at least. _Alright, now faster._ She put on another burst of speed, bigger than the first, and she flinched slightly as she broke the sound barrier, the pulse shaking her a bit, but she stayed on course.

Now Sugu figured about eight-hundred, and felt just a little dizzy, but she wanted more. She needed more. _Come on... faster!_ She tried once again to plunge forward into the great expanse, wanting more than anything at that moment to go as fast as possible. Her back muscles strained, and then, suddenly, she felt smooth. She felt like a javelin hurled through the air at lightning speed, cutting through the sky with no friction at all. She was in open-mouthed awe when she ran into a small cloud at probably around nine-hundred and fifty miles an hour, making her cough and sputter as she hurriedly closed her amazed gape.

 _Ugh, that was nasty,_ she thought with a little shudder, but she was going so fast – loving the feeling more than anything else, real world or otherwise – that she didn't care too much. She couldn't help but pull out her menu with her delicate left hand as she flew, scrolling through her info and stats for the millionth time.

Her name here was Leafa, and she was a Sylph fairy, apparently. Her powers were centered around wind magic, flight velocity (which was how she was going faster than most fairies could stand), and enhanced hearing. _That last one outta come in handy sometime,_ she thought with a slight smirk, imagining gossip, romances, scandals and general amorous happenings. She was a true romantic, through and through. She thought, breathed, and dreamed romance, day in and day out. But sadly, _I don't live it..._

Leafa shook her head, clearing her mind of such melancholy things, and continued to scroll through the menu. Again, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, so she was quite caught off guard when something collided with her shoulder, slicing it and leaving a red gash where it hit. She cringed and saw her health bar go down about a quarter as she tumbled through the air.

She righted herself quickly enough to see a scaled, winged creature streak through the sky towards her again. Acting purely on instinct, she pulled out her beginners steel short sword and swiped upward with it as the creature dove for her, squeezing her eyes shut with a little yelp of fright. It shrieked. and Leafa felt the sword collide with flesh and go through.

She opened her eyes to watch the creature fall from the sky, a wing shone clean off of it's shoulder, then it exploded into brightly colored fragments. A reward menu popped up in front of her, and she exhaled, relieved. _That was... intense. And gosh, my heart!_ She put a light hand to her chest, feeling the familiar thump pulsing faster and harder than usual through her smooth skin.

Glancing again at her damaged health bar, Leafa decided it best to take a rest stop after such a tangle, and began a swift decent. Acting again on instinct, she glided down slowly and upright to make a graceful landing, her wings disappearing with a little tinkling sound. She let out a small sigh as she sat down on an old log facing a crystal blue lake. It shone in the bright sunlight, reflecting the opposite shore and sky with near perfection. The young girl rested her elbows on her knees, and her head in her hands, and stared half-awake at the enchantingly beautiful water.

Her eyelids closed for a moment, and she had a flash of images from her subconscious ripple through her mind. A fantastical imagination, really. She imagined herself in her room IRL, when suddenly Kazuto opened her door to tell her dinner was ready. But instead of getting up, she summoned him to her, motioning for him to sit next to her. He smiled and did so, and Suguha looked up at him with a warm smile of her own, cheeks flushed. Then, he bent down, and she up, and their lips met softly in a small but meaningful kiss.

They eventually parted, and he smiled again, hugging her to his chest and saying quietly in her ear as her eyes closed,

"Sugu... Sugu..."


	3. Realization Dawned

_**Konichiwa, readers. My sincerest apologies for making you wait so long for this. I could list my plethora of reasons as to why I haven't posted in a while, but I'll spare you. To make up for it, I'll try my best to write more fervently on this in the near future, and not have weeks of wait time. Maybe a chapter a week, though idk with school starting and all. *shrugs* Anywho, hope you enjoy this chapter, and definitely more to come. The adventure has only just begun! I don't own either SAO or it's characters.**_

"Sugu... Sugu!" yelled a distant voice, arousing her rather suddenly. She woke up with a start, her hand flying instinctively to the handle of her sword, but felt her extended elbow collide with something soft in the process. Hearing a grunt behind her, she turned to see Shinichi (or Recon, as he was referred to in-game), rolling on the ground, clutching his stomach.

She cringed sympathetically. "Sorry, Shi- I mean, Recon. Were you calling me?" she asked, rubbing her legs and looking at the sun descending through the sky. _Geez, it got late fast... How long was I asleep?_ Then she remembered her daydream, and her cheeks immediately blazed with embarrassment at her own subconscious desires.

"Urng," Recon groaned, standing slowly upright, "Yeah, it took me half the day to catch up to you, and when I finally found you, you were asleep on that log." He caught a glimpse of her reddened face and furrowed his brow in confusion. "Um, Sugu? Arrrre you okay?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm totally fine, nothing's wrong! Just thinking and stuff, that's all. So where are we going to stop for the night, hu?" She hoped the quick barrage of words ending in an essential question would throw him off, but inwardly she huddled into a little ball of girlish embarrassment. _Stupid..._

"Oh, uh, yeah! I mean, yes, there's a small neutral village near here. It's close to the borders of Cait Sith territory, but we shouldn't have any problems. The Sylphs and the Cait Sith have been open to peaceful negotiations and trade for quite some time." Recon's wings sparkled into existence behind him, his lime green hair matching well with his attire and eyes, which were also a pleasant shade of green. "Well, you ready to go, Suguha?"

Leafa rolled her eyes, clearing her face of color, and gave him her classic punch to the shoulder. "I _told_ you, call me Leafa in here." She giggled slightly and rose into the air on her own magical wings, Recon trailing behind her and rubbing his shoulder. Recon pointed and they both swerved off in the direction of the town.

Leafa sighed wistfully, the wonder of flight only putting off her thoughts of Kazuto for a short while. She couldn't forget her reason for being here in the first place.

They flew for almost twenty minutes, the light of the evening fading into night, when Leafa exclaimed, "There! I see lights!" Off in the distance was a twinkling of pleasant yellow lights, some dancing in and out of view, others bright and stationary. She couldn't wait and flew even faster, unable to hear Recon's pleas over the sound of her own excitement. She landed softly in front of the gates and looked up, then gasped.

It was _beautiful_. The gates were made of two birch trees grown together at the top into an archway, ivy vines circling around them with little white flowers peeping here and there. Beyond it, the trees were a kind Leafa couldn't identify, and they were massive! Their trunks were bigger around than houses, but instead of tapering as they went up, they became even thicker nearer to the top. Their trunks were smooth with no branches, and split outward at the top like a peeled banana into gigantic branches that created a thick canopy that hid the night sky. Pink and dark purple flowers sprinkled the entire ceiling of pure green leaves like substitute stars, occasionally falling from their perches like huge colored snowflakes.

And everything was glittering with light. The quaint one-story wooden shops, street vendors, and the only two inns were all alight with warm yellow and green lanterns. It was almost as if day didn't end. Leafa stepped through the gate in wonder, staring with pure awe as people with cat ears and tails walked in by her through the gate, laughing and chatting gayly with each other. As she looked around, she saw not only them, but Sylphs as well, and even a few shady Spriggans standing in the shadows of corner buildings.

 _Wow..._ thought Leafa, _This world... How have I not been here before? How did I never see this? This world... it's more than I ever imagined. It's beautiful, it's exciting, it's adventure! This is..._ She stopped, hanging her head in the middle of the road. _But... it's not real. This isn't real, it's just a virtual world. The real one is out there..._ She hugged herself as a chill ran through her, images of the bleak greyness of her world IRL flashed through her head.

" _It's not just a game."_ Her eyes went wide. Kazuto...?

" _It's not just a game. This world is just as real as the other one, if you can only see it. Feelings, emotions, experiences; all can be made in here just like out there. People to people; places to places. The only difference between this world and the real one... is how YOU determine them!"_

Leafa caught her breath. She stood there for a few moments, frozen, then furrowed her brow. _Yes. That's what it is. This world... it's just as real as my world back home! And even more than that, this can be_ my _world now. This can be where I make experiences and feel things and have adventures. It's not like I could have many in that world anyway._

She looked up at the leafy ceiling above her and whispered with a smile, "Now I understand you... Kazuto. I get it now." She took a deep breath and set her jaw, looking forward at the town. She heard the little yells of Recon behind her and grinned, her mind now firmly set in this amazing new world. She giggled, then jumped in the air with a laugh of exhilaration.

"This is my world now. Alfheim Online, you're mine!"


	4. The Village of the Damned

_**Konichiwa, readers. I had a momentary burst of inspiration where I wrote half of chapter 3, all of 4, and half of 5 (yes, I know my knack for writing is very random), so you can expect another upload after this one quite soon. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. This is where things REALLY get started. ;P Happy reading! I do not own SAO or its characters.**_

 _ **(Side note: Reviews, plot ideas, and directional thoughts on how this story should go are all welcome. If anyone wants to write a review to present an idea to me so I can write it, I'll gladly take it into consideration, as well as just critique reviews. So feel free.)**_

Leafa laughed so hard milk flew from her nostrils.

She was sitting at a table in one of the two inns with Recon in a seat across from her, his awkward innocence making her laugh her head off once again. She regained her composure and quickly took care of the mess, glaring then at Recon.

"Are you serious?"

"Hu?!" he stammered, waving his arms pathetically, "O-of course I'm serious! The name of this town _is_ The Damned Village!" He cringed as Leafa laughed out loud again.

"Let's go to the Damn Village! Oh, I hate that guy from that Damn Village!" She eventually found her breath again and relaxed in her seat, finishing her milk with a sigh. "This world is weird."

"Uhhh," he answered awkwardly, paying more attention to the faces staring at them than hers. She sighed again and cleared her throat to get his attention. He started and she giggled. "Well then, maybe since you know so many weird facts, you can tell me why it's named The Damned Village?"

"Ah, well," he said, folding his hands in his lap, hunching his shoulders and looking down as he always did when reciting from memory, "it's just a legend, really. There's a lot of mythology in Alfheim Online, and most of it based on the Norse mythos. But some is completely unique to the game as it's own urban legend type stuff, like here. This town is said to be cursed with a tragic destiny. Some day, when the time is right, a monster is supposed to appear and destroy this town, leaving nothing and no one behind. The weird thing is, this monster isn't a boss, and it isn't a quest, and it's said that the NPCs it kills never revive, nor does the town ever rebuild."

Leafa leaned in, her curiosity piqued. Recon continued. "There are some players who truly believe this fate will come to pass, so they come and live here to protect the village, becoming merchants or just raiding nearby only."

"So _that's_ why there were so many non-NPC street vendors and houses for players here," she concluded, and he nodded, his brow very serious.

"Exactly. So if this legend happens to be true, almost the entire town will rise up to defeat the evil monster! It's pretty cool if you ask me."

She smirked at his still very serious look and poked him, snapping him out of his mood and making him flinch so hard he toppled out of his chair with a yelp. She put a hand to her mouth to hide a giggle and got up, helping him stand again and apologizing to the bartender. "You're hilarious," she grinned, and he grumbled helplessly.

They went to their separate rooms, ready to log off for the evening. Leafa received an awkward goodnight in the hall from a very nervous Recon, which made her laugh again, then waved him off and shut the door to her room. She sighed deeply as her soft figure landed flat onto the bed, her hands grasping tiredly at the silky sheets. _What a day..._

She was about to log out, but something felt off; like the day wasn't quite finished yet. She exited out of the menu and got up, feeling like she should walk outside for a bit. She closed the door to her room quietly in case Recon was still online, and inched her way through the hall, down the stairs, and out into the cool night air.

The lights of the town had dimmed a little, and the only noises were the faint dealings of a late-night merchant and a nice breeze, making the roof above her wave slightly. Leafa breathed in the night air, her hand to her chest as it rose and fell, then looked around. As soon as her eyes landed on the trees behind her, she started forward, immediately drawn towards them. She stood for a moment at the edge, looking into the deep dark of the forest as a strange longing washed over her, then plunged in.

She walked slowly, looking at her surroundings with no thought or sound. As she went deeper, the trees, the ground, and everything became overgrown with a thick, light green moss which muted her footsteps altogether. There were no birds, no voices, even the breeze seemed to die down to almost nothing. It was utterly silent, but not frightening. Instead, she was relaxed, and her breathing was almost stilled as she absorbed the pureness of the quiet forest.

She noticed that as she walked, there was an atmospheric light that seemed to follow her. She stopped for a moment and looked at the ground, then smiled with delight. There were the smallest periwinkle flowers dotted everywhere in the moss both above and below and to either side, giving off a faint glow. Their glow individually was small, but they were so numerous that they lit up the forest in a soft light. She continued on, and the little lights would dim behind her and light up as she drew near. Her path was constantly illumined with a sourceless light, her joy and wonderment overflowing into her step, making her laugh quietly as she twirled and danced a little. She spread out her arms and did a cartwheel over the moss, the lights brightening cheerfully wherever she went.

Finally, she spied something in the distance. As she neared, the lights of the flowers started to dim, then disappeared all together. _Something_ _is_ _prevented them from growing_ _here..._ she thought. There was a curtain of ivy ahead of her, a green aura shining through it, but what the ivy hung from and the forest beyond the ivy she couldn't see, like there was a wall of darkness cutting the forest asunder.

She stepped through the ivy curtain, pushing it aside with her hand, and stepped into a clearing of sorts. Above her, the canopy was still closed, but now it was dark and oppressive to her in contrast to the forest behind her. The trees looked menacing and reaching, the green-hued light making her surroundings look sickly. The moss was all but gone, and in its place was old bark and wizened grass. In the middle of the clearing was a stump, a HUGE stump. It was so large she could have laid fifteen full grown Sylphs vertically and they wouldn't have touched both ends.

She couldn't help but move towards it, and stepped lightly onto it. Walking over to the middle, she looked down and caught her breath silently, now afraid to disturb the intimidating stillness. Jutting from very center of the stump was a dark, spear-like root. It looked like it had been frozen just as it was jabbing at something, and skewered on its tip was small scroll.

Her hands reached forward of their own accord and grabbed the scroll. She recoiled with a withheld squeal, her hands nearly frozen cold as they got near the dark root. She stepped backward a couple paces, then looked at the scroll in her hand. The breeze came back but with a bit more force, the trees swaying and groaning, leaves whirling about her.

Without a second thought, Leafa unfurled the scroll, but the words were written in a different language she couldn't understand. The wind suddenly picked up, blowing her blonde hair wildly, and from the scroll came a voice. It was deep, rough and cold, snaking its way into her head like an evil weed.

" **The village sleeps, the forest nature keeps, and all the world is at ease.** "

Leafa gritted her teeth, her head pounding with every word.

" **But from the ground** **comes a mighty sound that** **will bring the Damned to their knees.** "

She fell to her knees on the stump, barely able to notice the ice creeping from the center of the stump up her legs as she held her throbbing head.

" **Arise, ground breaker. Arise earth shaker, and let the ice come forth.** "

Her eyes widened as she noticed the ice swiftly immobilizing her. She reached her hand up shakily, bringing up the menu as fast as she could.

" **Let it be known through the forest and town that** _ **I**_ **shall wake once more!** "

The ground began to shake, the ice reaching up her arm. With that last word from the voice, a large, dark root erupted from the stump, cracking it and tearing the branches overhead to shreds. Leafa screamed as the ground shook violently beneath her, and with a final effort, reached with her fingers for the Log Out button.


	5. New Threat, New Friend

_**Konichiwa, readers. My sincerest apologies for the long wait, even after I said this wouldn't take long to write. Many things came up IRL, so I've been very busy until recently. However, I am not free of school and obligations! So you can probably expect at least a new chapter a month from here to summer, and probably more. I have a whole arc planned out for this fanfiction, so it'll continue for a while yet. Anyways, to make up for the wait for this chapter, I made it longer than the others (and it kinda needs to be anyways), so please enjoy! I do not own Sword Art Online or its characters, only my (just made) OC.**_

Suguha yelped as she woke up suddenly, sitting upright in her bed as if struck by lightning. She breathed hard and shakily, a cold sweat beading down her cheeks as she sat motionless for a time. Eventually, her hands relaxed from their death-grip on the sheets, and she swung her legs over the side of her bed, folding her hands in her lap.

 _What was that...?_

She put her head in her hands, feeling her cold cheeks on her fingertips as she tried to process the recent events. _Could that have been... that myth Recon was talking about?_ _Ugh, but why now? And why was I there? Ugh, this is so confusing._ She shook her head, too tired from the trauma to fully grasp the situation now.

Suguha sighed. "Well," she said aloud to her room, "might as well get a midnight snack. I won't be sleeping much tonight anyway." Promptly she arose, and taking a quick moment to stretch her arms above her head and change into an orange nightshirt before exiting the room. She hummed a little to herself as she walked barefoot down the hall to the kitchen, trying her best to cheer up and forget tonight's scare. But that chilling voice still nagged at the back of her mind, making her shiver involuntarily from time to time.

She stopped in front of the refrigerator and grabbed a soda, popping the lid and sipping with relish. She stood with her back against the fridge, drinking by the low glow of the counter light. But no matter how hard she tried, her mind kept wandering back to what she had witnessed. _I really thought I was going to die..._

"Well," she giggled softly to herself, "at least Shinichi wasn't there. He would have completely flipped a cow over the myth being rea-" Suguha dropped her soda, gasping as she suddenly realized the very real danger. _Oh no! If the myth actually is real, then that monster is going to wake up and...!_

She streaked back to her room, trying her best not to trip on the cold wood floor as she ran. She quickly grabbed her laptop, turned it on, waited impatiently for it to load, then looked up the latest news from ALO. She gasped again at the headline.

 **News Alert!**

 **A monster has spawned in the Frigald Forest adjacent to the Damned Village, Neutral Sector 4 between the Cait Sith and Sylph territories.**

 **This monster has the difficulty rank of a boss, but its level is unknown, estimated to be around 70 to 80.**

 **It is currently wading through the Frigald Forest directly for the Damned Village, and many are saying the monster intends to destroy the village permanently.**

 **In addition, there is a system error in place around the monster. It cannot be despawned.**

 **The admins have requested that all available players of level 60 or over that are in the region be sent right away to help in defeating this monster before it arrives at the village.**

 **These players are to meet at The Damned Pub for a brief analysis and strategy meeting.**

 **Please help!**

 **Current Player Count: 23**

Suguha stared wide-eyed at the page, reading line after line with increasing fright. _'Wading'? It's... WADING through_ _that_ _forest?!_ She sat back in her chair, fear like a swiftly spreading ice made her chest begin to ache. _Did I do this? Did I set that thing free? Oh, Kazuto, where are you...?_

She brought her knees to her chest, hugging them round with her arms and huddling into a pathetic ball in her chair. She felt the ice in her chest begin to form tears at the rims of her eyes, tears of shame that she might have just destroyed that beautiful town and forest. _Please no..._

She sobbed softly into her knees for a short time, resigning herself to her self-pity. Then, after wiping her tears away with her sleeve, she let out a shaky breath. _No, it doesn't have to be like this. Kazuto would never just give up in a situation like this. I have to prove to him that I'm strong, strong like he is. Then maybe..._

She stood up from her chair and glanced at the headgear waiting for her on her bed. _But what can a level twelve do? No._ She shook her head, slapping both her cheeks with her hands to clear her head of such thoughts. _What little I can do, I will do. I have to take responsibility for this._ With a deep breath, she took the headgear and put it over her head, lying down on her bed as it started.

"Link start!"

The familiar zooming colors engulfed her quickly, then disappeared into a deep blackness as she spawned in to the Alfheim Online Japanese server. She found herself lying on the cold forest floor, a chill wind blowing her blonde hair across her face. She gulped and tucked the stray hairs behind her ear, then put a hand to her mouth to hold back a scream as she looked up.

She found herself lying on her back on the cold forest floor, a chill wind blowing her blonde hair across her face. She gulped and tucked the stray hairs behind her ear, then put a hand to her mouth to hold back a scream as she looked around her.

She was in the same grove as before, but where the path leading to the curtain of ivy had been, there was cut a huge swath. It was like an electric tiller the size of a mansion had run away from its handler and cut a path through the forest, shredding tress and rending the earth as it went. But it wasn't the size that had shaken her so terribly she could barely bring herself to stand. It was the ice.

Everything that had been in the path of the monster had instantly frozen as they were flung aside, creating waves of rock, soil, trees and underbrush all along the wide swath. What made it even more horrifying was the color of the ice; a dirty, sickening dark-grey. Leafa stood horrified at the sight, the pitch black night sky only making the scene seem colder. She hugged herself, half to keep warm and half to stymie the fear that was again eating slowly at her heart.

But that fear soon turned to a hot anger at the destruction of the beautiful forest, which eventually warmed her legs enough to take a step forward. Then another. The frigid wind beat against her back, snow now starting to form a blizzard as she trudged forward across the ice-strewn path. She walked for a time, making some progress, then unfurled her arms to begin a stride. Then a fast walk. Then a run. Then she took off from the ground, flying on her green wings as fast as she could, her heated anger shielding her against the cold and energizing her body with avenging adrenaline.

As she made her way forward, Leafa heard a deep, rumbling groan through the whistling wind that she knew must be the monster up ahead. Finally, she stopped in midair, stunned as she looked up and beheld the towering silhouette of the monster appearing through the thick snowfall. She couldn't see it well in the haze, but the first thing she could compare it to was pictures of the giant redwood trees, which she remembered stand one hundred feet tall on average.

Her heart sank, but she continued onward, making sure to give the monster a wide berth. It seemed like forever, but eventually she saw the trees that the monster hadn't torn down, and after crossing those, the lights of the down through the branches. That gave her hope as she soared into the beautifully lit area, making her way towards the appointed pub. The wind howled at her as she landed and quickly eased the door open, then shut it behind her.

Leafa was greeted by a dull glow of lamps situated sparsely about the room, their aura barely illuminating the grim faces that filled the small pub. She quickly did a headcount only to despair, for there were no more than thirty players, and all of them were restless and annoyed. They obviously didn't like the feeling of something new and legitimately dangerous in-game, especially with the SAO tragedy still at large. She slowly wandered through the small crowd of players, some mumbling to their comrades while others stood and fidgeted uncomfortably in silence. In addition to the Sylphs and Cait Sith that had come from the nearby territories, she spied a handful of Gnomes in a group talking in low voices, and a couple Spriggans huddle in the darkest corners of the pub.

One of the Gnomes caught her eye: He was a tall, burly looking fellow, though those features weren't uncommon among the Gnomes. But this guy, Leafa thought, was a good bit bigger and more well-built than the other Gnomes she'd seen. He had thin, wiry eyebrows, the hint of a beard on his square jaw, a wide, firm face, and a rough but fair complexion. He was laden with assault gear and heavy armor, a thick fur-rimmed cloak was draped over his broad shoulders, and a great spiked hammer lay on the ground, leaning against his boot. As he spoke with his companions, his pleasant baritone and authoritative speech convinced her that he was the leader of the Gnomes, and looked like really the only authority figure in the room.

She continued to wind shyly through the little mass of people until she was close enough to hear his speech.

"-afraid, this is no more than a boss raid like you would find in any dungeon in Alfheim. We tackle this like we've tackled every other monster we've faced, and just like all of them, this one will fall beneath our swords. Be ready for when the call to arms arrives, alright? Let's do this." He fist-bumped each one of his comrades in turn, and all of them grinned with a silent fire in their eyes.

"Um, excuse me, but are you the leader of this makeshift boss raid?" asked Leafa as she tapped his shoulder.

He turned to face her and she took a slight step back, his height and overall hugeness becoming even more apparent and intimidating up close. He bowed low to her and she started, unused to the gesture. "My lady." His face was set like stone as he rose again, but the corners of his mouth curled slightly as he looked at her down below. "Yes, I'm the 'leader', I suppose. My name is Grandrom, nice to meet you. There wasn't really anyone chosen and no admins present, but it didn't look like anyone else was willing to step up to the job, so here I am. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Oh, well, um, it's nice to meet you," said Leafa, somewhat flustered as she tried her best at a curtsy, though it was likely a clumsy thing to behold. _He's handsome..._ "I, uh..." She hesitated and looked around at the other faces, wondering if she really should tell anyone about what she had done instead of just leaving it be. _But I can't do that, because that'd be running away._ She was about to speak, when he suddenly hushed her.

"Come, we shall speak elsewhere out of the range of unwanted ears." Leafa's eyes widened with surprise that he had read her so perfectly. She nodded and he picked up his hammer and led the way, his bulk making her path through the crowd much easier than before. She tried her best to ignore the looks they got, especially from the two Spriggans she could have sworn were staring darkly at them the whole time. They stepped out of a side door to an open air patio that faced the town. They took seats on a small bench with their backs to the wall of the pub and looked out at the town.

"So, is this about the awakening of the Frigald?" asked Grandrom, calmly looking upon the town with his elbows on his knees and his chin on his fists.

She shook her head and smiled. "Is that a skill you picked up on some weird quest or something?"

"What?"

"That reading-between-the-lines-crazy-accurately thing that you do."

"Ah," he rubbed the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly, "I've been told that I'm good at that. Sorry if it's creepy."

 _This guy isn't so bad..._ Leafa thought. "Nah, I'm actually glad. It saves time," she giggled, then sighed and adopted a more serious tone. "But yeah, this is about that... So it's called the Frigald, hu? I should've guessed by the name of the forest."

He simply nodded, and she caught him glancing at her sidelong, awaiting the incoming explanation. She breathed in deeply. "I think that... I awakened it a few hours ago."

She held her breath and glanced at him, but his eyes only narrowed slightly as his guess was confirmed and said nothing, still waiting for more.

 _He's a good listener too..._ "I was walking through the forest when I was... _drawn_ or something to this part of the forest that was dark, and there was a huge stump with a black, frozen root coming out of it. And it had this scroll attached to it, and I just... took it and read it. But when I did, the forest shook and there was this voice, and everything started freezing over with ice, and I was so scared I logged out before anything else happened." She put her head in her hands and shook it, her blonde ponytail blowing in the chilly breeze beside her.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself, even though I knew about that old prophecy..."

She hugged her arms around herself in the cold, ready for him to rebuke her and walk off, but there was only silence from the figure next to her. Suddenly, she felt his warm, heavy cloak envelope her by a pair of huge, gentle hands. She pulled the edges of the cloak tighter around her and looked up at him, and he smiled warmly back at her.

"You couldn't have known the outcome of your actions, and no one would have done any different. Don't let it weigh on you, okay? It wasn't your fault, and if that prophecy is true, it would have happened eventually anyway."

 _He's nice, and surprisingly charming..._ Leafa only stared at the ground, his words and the kindhearted gesture melting the frost that had come over her heart. She let out her held breath and nodded. "Thanks. But," she looked up and met his stern gaze, "there's still the matter of defeating it now..." They both looked up at the sky of leaves, the sounds of the nearing disaster being to resound through the air.

To her surprise, Grandrom laughed; a hearty laugh that dispelled most of her fear and anxiety like a warm wind blows away the tops of the snow. He beamed down at her and hefted his huge hammer over his shoulder. "You just leave that bit up to me and that ramshackle team inside. We'll get it done."

 _He's strong..._ _I like him,_ the thought finally came to her, instead of the usual whisper in the back of her mind. _I like him a lot. I think I could be friends with him, if I tried._ She smiled back up at him and nodded, her inside almost flaring in the heat of upcoming battle.

"Don't worry little lady." Grandrom swung his hammer suddenly and hit the earth so hard the head of the hammer was almost completely buried, and the ground shook under Leafa. She gave him a startled look only to meet his gleaming, toothy grin. "I'll have that overgrown frozen tree smashed to splinters before it even touches this town."

Leafa laughed and smirked at him. "Show off."


End file.
